Beginning in 1998, the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network formally expanded its education efforts to include K-12 students and teachers mainly through the Schoolyard (SLTER) program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Each LTER site designed its own program in relation to the ecological research conducted at the site and the particular need and resources of its local school district and community.
Starting in 2000, the LTER leadership engaged in a process of priority setting for the LTER Network and drafted the LTER 2000-2010: A Decade of Synthesis White Paper. This document included Education as one of the ways that LTER can achieve its mission of understanding long-term patterns and processes of ecological systems at multiple spatial scales.
The LTER Network Office initiated a strategic planning process for the Education component of LTER in 2002. LTER Education Representatives including teachers, graduate students and science educators met for two days in the spring of 2002 to provide input for the LTER 2000-2010 White Paper and to discuss issues, objectives and recommendations to include in a Strategic Plan for Education. During this meeting an LTER Education Committee was formed.
The plan presented below written in direct consultation with the LTER Education Committee provides a vision, mission, goals and strategies to advance the teaching and learning of long-term ecological processes at all education levels. This plan intends to serve as a guide to education activities for the LTER Network. Specific goals are:
To move toward the achievement of these goals, the strategic plan contains
a set of strategies and potential outcomes. It also proposes implementation
at three levels: 1) At each individual site, 2) at the Network level; and
3) at the Network Office level.
The 10-year review of the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program in 1991 recognized that the program not only had established a track record for excellence in research but also it had provided unique and unexpected opportunities for education. The LTER network had succeeded in training many students in ecological research in site-oriented environments with interaction and collaboration among many disciplines.
The committee that reviewed the LTER program was convinced that while the
program should continue its research trajectory, there was a far broader and
more important role for an LTER program. It was recommended that LTER function
as a network of integrated sites and that this new Network must assume a broader
role in environmental education:
“
Because the process of ecological science can best be understood by observing
and participating in environmental science in action, sites like those in the
LTER network have a strong potential to provide unique educational experiences.
Thus, the new LTER network must assume a broader role in environmental education”.
The committee report further stated that because of the variety of ecosystems
that LTER encompasses, it allows the network the potential to serve as a test-bed
for the development of curricular materials, as a learning environment for
students of all levels, and as a classroom in which teachers can learn about
science in ways they can transfer the knowledge to the classroom. In addition,
the LTER network was the ideal vehicle for demonstrating the necessary interplay
between teaching, and research. The committee asked NSF and LTER to play a
larger role in K-16 environmental education...
In 1998 the Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) at the National Science Foundation, provided supplements upon request to LTER sites to expand their efforts in education. Supplements were mainly used to involve K-12 students and teachers in the study of long-term ecological processes through the Schoolyard program (SLTER). Each site designed its own program in relation to the ecological research conducted at the site and the particular needs of its local school district and community. Supplements have led to a multifaceted education and outreach program that advances science literacy. Currently, all 24 sites have used supplements to conduct Schoolyard-related education activities. More than 200 teachers and over 6,000 children have participated in the Schoolyard Program.
With a modest amount of funding, SLTER education efforts have stimulated the development of new partnerships with teachers, school districts, organizations, and business/industry. In addition, many sites have used supplements to leverage funds and grow their programs.
Starting in 2000, the LTER leadership through its Executive Committee, Coordinating Committee and Advisory Board reviewed the aims and mission of the LTER Network to establish priorities for the future. They produced a draft of the LTER 2000-2010: A Decade of Synthesis White Paper. The White Paper included Education as one of the ways that LTER can achieve its mission of understanding long-term patterns and processes of ecological systems at multiple spatial scales. The White Paper stated: “The LTER approach to research, coupled with the ability to implement long-term educational initiatives, allows for unique approaches to training of future researchers and to learning and teaching ecological concepts. Evaluating and disseminating this approach through the involvement of graduate and undergraduate students, postdoctoral and international scientists, K-12 educators and students, and the general public will help ensure the success of long-term ecology in the future.”
In the spring of 2002, the LTER Network Office initiated a strategic planning process to define the objectives and to make recommendations for the Education component of LTER. The process started with a meeting of LTER education representatives at the Sevilleta LTER in New Mexico in March of 2002. Representatives from 20 of the 24 sites including K-12 teachers, graduate students and Science Education experts attended this event (Appendix A). The purpose of the meeting was to review the goals stated in the LTERWhite Paper Draft and to respond to these by developing LTER Education goals, specific objectives, and action plans. For two days Education representatives worked in groups to come up with issues, challenges and recommendations to include in a strategic plan for LTER education. They also provided input and comments on the White Paper that are incorporated in this document. LTER Graduate Student Representatives sent their recommendations.
Since the March meeting two related documents came out: 1) the report of the LTER Twenty-Year Review; and 2) A draft of a 10-Year Agenda for Environmental Research and Education at NSF. This document links the recommendations made during the LTER Education Representatives meetings with the relevant LTER and NSF documents to create a broad and visionary Education Plan and develops suggested action items for LTER. This plan will serve as a guide to education activities at LTER sites. Authors of the plan are well aware of the successes of individual sites and value the creative entrepreneurship of the sites, thus the intent is to guide not to prescribe. However, we expect that education activities would start functioning as a network of sites similar to the research activities. As with any strategic plan, activities will evolve. They will be reviewed and revised periodically by the Education Committee to ensure alignment with the overall mission of LTER. The Education Committee might solicit input from people at organizations with similar education-related programs.
At the March 2002 meeting, an LTER Education Committee composed of 7 members and 3 ex-officio members was formed (Appendix B). This document has been written in direct consultation with the LTER Education Committee.
To become a national model for ecological education that integrates the LTER research and findings with the teaching and learning of ecological principles and processes.
To use the uniqueness of the LTER programs and network to promote training, teaching, and learning about long-term ecological research and the earth’s ecosystems.
Goal 5B of the LTER White Paper refers to the role of LTER sites in advancing the theory and practice of ecological and science education at all levels and in all areas of LTER expertise. The LTER sites and network are uniquely poised to promote education at the program, institution, state, and national levels. This work builds on, and is linked closely to LTER scientific expertise in its five core research areas and its long term, comparative approach. LTER education addresses some of the most important but vexing objectives for ecological and environmental education; that is, it uses outdoor, inquiry-based teaching and learning to build science literacy; it creates effective strategies for interdisciplinary and collaborative learning about ecology; and it teaches about local ecosystems while fostering an understanding of distant ones as well.
Objectives for the coming decade listed in the White Paper include:
Taking into account the documents mentioned above and the discussion at the Education Representatives meeting, the LTER Education Committee has identified five main goals for Education (in priority order) that will support the LTER Mission:
Assess current education efforts (e.g. SLTER, REU)
LTER sites provide unique opportunities to conduct long-term ecological research.
Similarly, sites also provide unique opportunities to develop evaluation strategies
and/or instruments to determine how LTER funded education projects have contributed
to the understanding of long-term, large-scale ecological processes.
In addition, the ongoing education efforts (e.g. SLTER, REU) would serve as test beds to answer questions related to how people learn best, which long-term ecological processes are the most misunderstood and to create innovative teaching and assessment tools to foster learning and to show that learning has taken place.
Strategies:
Outcomes:
Develop a framework for LTER education that includes all education levels (K-graduate and beyond).
LTER is uniquely positioned to develop programs that can have a significant impact on students and educators at all levels. LTER involvement in education started with the training of graduate students and participation of undergraduate students in research particularly through the REU program. It has grown to increase awareness of the importance and impact of LTER research at the K-12 level through the Schoolyard program (SLTER). SLTER site-based programs have provided rich professional development opportunities for teachers, exciting enrichment opportunities for K-12 students and the public, while also leveraging considerable resources to create sustained impact on classrooms. To capitalize on the strengths and successes of site-based program and to advance ecological literacy at all levels, LTER must focus its efforts on the creation of a seamless education continuum from K-12 to graduate education and beyond. Through coordinated efforts that involve multiple sites and multiple education levels, LTER education could develop models for inquiry based-learning for all. Education programs at LTER sites could serve to bridge the gaps currently existing in the education pipeline. For example, K-12 students involved in the Schoolyard program could be encouraged to pursue scientific careers in ecology related to LTER research, contributing to the LTER 2000-2010 goal of developing a cadre of new researchers to conduct long-term research. These efforts would also address NSF and national objectives for science education.
Strategies
Outcomes
Improve the understanding and value of long-term, large-scale ecological processes
by students of all levels.
Long –term ecological research requires a non-traditional approach.
In addition to the practical field experience required, scientists and students
become part of teams that are committed to long-term measurements and to
share data. This approach to research linked with long-term education initiatives
allows for unique ways to training ecologists for the 21st century and to
teaching and learning ecological concepts. As recommended by LTER review
committees, it is important to integrate this approach across the network
of sites including international networks.
Strategies
Outcomes
Improve the diversity, training, and support of future generations of ecologists.
Increased participation in ecology and environmental sciences by members of underrepresented groups is imperative to achieving NSF’s environmental research and education agenda. According to documents published by the NSF and the Ecological Society of America, participation by African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans in Ecological and Environmental careers is extremely low. Yet, some LTER sites are uniquely positioned to bring these groups into the field. For example, LTER sites located on the Southwest and Florida have the potential of attracting Hispanics and Native Americans, Sites in the Southeast can attract African Americans, and sites in Alaska can involve Alaskan Natives.
Attracting and retaining students from underrepresented groups requires long-term and sustained commitment. LTER provides unique environments to bring students to the field to learn about long-term ecological processes. This is especially important for students in urban sites and for those students who haven’t had field exposure. LTER can take a lead on promoting Ecology and Long-Term Research as a career option. One way to start is by having underrepresented students participate in the Schoolyard and REU programs and have them linked with mentors early on in their studies.
Strategies:
Outcomes:
Develop LTER education activities as a model program to improve science literacy. Because of the diverse approaches to education at sites (e.g. instructional materials development, professional development, REU, GK-12, informal science) and the range of constituents (urban, rural, agricultural, etc.), we have a unique opportunity, collectively as a network to construct a very robust education model. We are just beginning to understand the success of educational programs at the site level. By focusing on LTER education as a model program, we will need to document what has worked at the site level, create strategies for dissemination, adaptation, replication, and assessment across the network .
The interaction of at least six components of LTER education enhance student learning:
Strategies:
Outcomes:
The proposed plan requires implementation at three levels: 1) At each individual site, 2) at the Network level; and 3) at the Network Office level.
Participants at the LTER Education Representatives Meeting
LTER Education Committee Members